Tickets are to be introduced for the first time at this year’s Godiva Festival to ensure organisers can manage visitor numbers safely, as the event grows in popularity.

A £2 administration fee will be charged for each ticket, with under-5s free, to cover the cost of the move to ticketing, ensure a safe event and maintain the high quality expected of the festival. The decision will also help ensure the annual event is delivered within budget.

Tickets must be purchased per day of the event and are limited to six per person, per day, and must be purchased individually per day – tickets covering all three days of the event are not available. This means that if you want to attend all three days of the festival, it would actually cost you £6.

While tickets might be available on the day, organisers of the event are encouraging visitors to purchase tickets in advance to avoid disappointment.

The move is the first of some key changes in the much-loved festival’s 20-year history which will also see a £10 on-site car parking charge introduced for the first time.

Over the last two decades, visitor numbers have grown dramatically with around 120,000 people now visiting over the three days. Last year’s event was estimated to generate £2.3m in economic activity by bringing tens of thousands of extra visitors to the city.

But its increasing popularity brings the need to improve visitor safety. While it is difficult to know how many people will attend each year, capacity for the 2018 event had to be increased from 30,000 to 50,000 and the entire site needed to be fenced to manage the volume of visitors and provide a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. A record crowd of almost 45,000 people were on the main field on Saturday evening of last year’s festival.

The move to ticketing the event aims to ensure the safety of everyone at the family-friendly festival, while other changes such as the parking charges will help reduce the cost to the taxpayer in delivering the overall event.

Andy Williams, Director of Business, Investment & Culture at Coventry City Council, said: “The feedback we received last year was overwhelmingly positive to the increased security on site, and we know how popular the Godiva Festival is with both residents and visitors to the city.

“Introducing a small charge to help cover the administration for the tickets will enable us to improve safety and security for everyone, without compromising the affordability for all.

“At the same time, we do need to introduce other measures to relieve some of the financial pressures that come with delivering the much-loved festival. The funding challenges we face means that the Council is not in a position where we can continue to deliver the event as it has been for the last 20 years.

“We have also been looking to attract more sponsors to the event as well as exploring the appetite for merchandising to see if that can also help to generate additional income.

“The event brings massive benefits and profile to the city, which benefit many local businesses and so it’s right that we ask everyone to play their part in continuing to support the festival by attending, buying souvenir merchandise, or joining the Council as a supporter of the event.”

Tickets are available now and people are encouraged to buy tickets in advance to ensure they don’t miss out on Godiva 2019 and order their Godiva Festival wristbands and programmes in advance.

The Godiva Festival will take place on 5 – 7 July 2019 at the War Memorial Park.